Beautiful Work
by CatsbytheGreat
Summary: On why Edmund is the Just.


**Author's Note: I was looking through stuff from my old English class and found a list of quotes from 'The Count of Monte Cristo', including the one that inspired me to write this about Edmund. Anyway, enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or Narnia. These belong to C.S. Lewis. I also do not own the quote, but it is cited, so you'll find out who it belongs to soon enough. **

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"…_For the greatest, the most beautiful, and the most sublime thing I know of in this world is to reward and punish."-Alexandre Dumas_

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_"You know, Edmund, you've gotten good at being the law."

Edmund was writing furiously on a piece of parchment. He frowned, having registered what Peter said and stored it away, and continued to write. Peter waited, looking patient. He knew his brother well enough to know that Edmund would not simply ignore him. He was right. Edmund's head popped up when he had finished writing and he stared at Peter.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You've taken to the law like a fish to water," Peter told him. "Or a mermaid, if you will. We've all become comfortable in certain areas of governing. I very much like to run the army. Susan has become a fine diplomat. Lucy loves handling the affairs of the people. Do you see what I mean?"

"Yes," Edmund said. He glanced down at his paper, which was, in fact, a draft of a new law. The Pevensies had been ruling Narnia for three years, and now Narnians from the Lone Islands and from Archenland were starting to come back into Narnia, their families having left when Jadis took control. Edmund had seen the need for immigration laws, one of which he was working on now. "I just want to make things fair."

"Who doesn't want things to be fair?" Peter said, looking thoughtful. "It's not only making laws, Edmund. It's you, being a judge. You're very good at it, you know. People hardly ever disagree with you. More often than not they're surprised, because you're so young…"

"We're all young," Edmund said. "It's quite rare. Not to mention that we're four people governing a single country, and siblings instead of married to each other. We're an anomaly."

Peter laughed. "Why do you like to do it, though? Personally, I mean?"

"Why do you like running the army? Why do you like to make battle tactics? Why do you love sword fighting?" Edmund countered.

"I want to protect my country," Peter answered without hesitation. "I love Narnia."

"Don't we all?" Edmund asked with a smirk. "Now, as much as I'd love to give you a really long answer, I need to work on this."

Peter pushed himself out of his chair and laughed. "You don't know, do you?"

"Of course I do! Now go!"

Peter continued to chuckle as he left the room, but Edmund was annoyed that his brother was right: he didn't know exactly what attracted him to law. It continued to consume his thoughts for the rest of the night.

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"Why am I so fascinated with laws? What makes me like making laws? Why should I want to be a judge so much? Everyone wants life to be fair, but that doesn't make them all judges or law-makers." Edmund paused. "Peter said I'm good at being the law."

He and Phillip were riding to the Stone Table, where Edmund had made a point of going to since he found out about Aslan's sacrifice. The Horse snorted. "Aslan is the law," he said. "You can't be."

"True," Edmund said. "But I want to represent the law in Narnia, when Aslan is not here. I serve Him, after all."

"I believe you have the beginnings of an answer," Phillip said. "Peter should be pleased."

"Peter won't be pleased with that," Edmund muttered. "He'll just ask why again."

The two came out of the forest and found themselves at the foot of the Hill of the Stone Table. Edmund dismounted Phillip, even though the Horse would be coming with him. He always did this, although he wasn't sure why. He felt better approaching the Table on his own two feet than by means of someone else. Phillip was close behind him.

The Table was gray and a jagged crack ran down the middle. Edmund began to walk around it, running his hand around the edges, thinking. The stone was cold against his hands, but smooth. He turned to Phillip, still touching the Table.

"It wasn't fair, you know."

Phillip nodded. He had heard Edmund say this before, and they both knew what he was talking about. Phillip had made many trips to this spot with his King. "I know," Phillip said, "but it was good."

"I want things to be fair _and_ good," Edmund said. "I want the Narnians to know that they are safe in their own country, that nothing from the inside can unexpectedly hurt them. I want them to be happy. I want them to feel free from danger. I want them to live without fear. I want them to find comfort in the laws this country has, and in the judgements I make."

"Why?" Phillip asked, almost as if he were standing in for Peter.

"It's the least I could do for Aslan, to keep Narnia safe," Edmund said. "Things might not be fair, but they should be…people should get what they deserve. They should be happy. Narnia is a great place that deserves nothing but the best. I want to give her that. I want to give Aslan that, because I didn't deserve what He gave me, and He deserves so much more than I could ever give Him."

"If only all rulers would think that way," Phillip said. "The world might be a better place."

"It isn't only that," Edmund continued. "I think I understand why people do things better. I know the heart of an innocent person, and I know the heart of a sinner because I have sinned greatly. I have an advantage over my siblings in that sense. And I have seen the greatest good of Aslan, and I have Him to guide me."

"I think Peter would be satisfied," Phillip said. "I think Aslan would be satisfied."

Edmund walked towards Phillip, a small grateful smile on his face. "Thank you for listening," he said. "And I do hope they would be satisfied. I suppose we'll find out soon enough, in Peter's case."

Moments later the two were headed back for the castle.

* * *

It was hard having no control over laws, over judgements passed, over anything that went on. It was even harder knowing that one could _never_ have much of an influence over any of those things.

"This war is horrible," Edmund muttered, reading the newspaper. "Innocent people killed everywhere. They're not limiting the fighting to the soldiers. They're taking it beyond that."

"I know, Edmund," Peter said, fixing them both a cup of tea. "I know you want to do something. I do, too." He sighed. "The war won't last forever."

"It won't," Edmund said, "but that doesn't bring back the dead." He bit on his lower lip. "They don't have Aslan to guide them. They don't know fairness, right or wrong, anything that they ought to."

"Well, Edmund, that is where we come in," Peter said. "You are still yourself."

Edmund frowned. "I can't make the war stop," he said. "I can't put the ones who started the war in jail. I can't compensate the families who have lost loved ones."

"You can live your life as guided by Aslan," Peter told him, "and others will follow. You can inspire them. You can understand them. You can tell them what you know so that they can know it as well." He set down a cup of tea at Edmund's elbow. "It's not as good as being a judge, or a lawmaker, but it's good enough. It's a start."

Edmund frowned, and took a sip of the tea. "But I am still a judge, in a sense," Edmund said. "I still judge between right and wrong and choose the better of the two in every situation. I let people know when I think they've done wrong and commend them when I think they've done well."

"Why do you do that?"

"They need to know," Edmund said, frowning. "I want to help them. You can't very well let someone keep on doing something wrong. You've got to let them know how to right it. And you should let people know they've done well because people like to hear it. I mean, people know when they've done these things, but they don't always know how to make it right, or have the strength to keep doing the right things, because it gets hard. Why do you think Aslan talked to me after the Narnians rescued me from the Witch? I knew I had done wrong, but He told me how to do good and keep on doing it. I was reminded of the consequences of doing wrong."

"There you have it," Peter said, sitting back and looking slightly smug. "You can still be Just here. Even in the most subtle ways, you can guide people in the right direction. You just told me how yourself." He took up his tea cup and patted Edmund on the shoulder. "Think about it." He left the room.

Edmund set down the newspaper and sighed. Peter was right, as he was almost always right. "What would I do without you?" he muttered to himself. He then glanced at the paper and smiled.

"Well, bringing a bit of Aslan into England," he said thoughtfully. "_That_ is a beautiful work."


End file.
